Shadetree Labs

My MultiBuild Project - Part 1: Introduction

This will be the first in a series of posts about the MultiBuild system. At least initially, this series will assume you have a reasonable familiarity with the system, but I will endeavor to provide comprehensive links to specific parts used in each post.

The impetus

Back in 2022, I had wanted an organizer to keep all of my 3d printer related tools and supplies mounted on the printer itself, and initially I found small, square plastic pegboards that mounted with adhesive at Dollar Tree. I bought one, and it was...kind of crummy. It mounted, it had little plastic pegs, but it was exactly what you would think: dollar store Skadis. I had considered getting Skadis, but the nearest IKEA is 3 hours drive, and I really didn't want to

  1. Pay shipping
  2. Buy a premade plastic solution for the tools for my custom plastic parts making robot

So I decided to get more of the Dollar Tree pegboards; the problem that I ran into was... they didn't have them any more. I love Dollar Tree for a lot of things(I may post about this at some point), and I didn't know this at the time, but they cycle their GM(general merchandise) seasonally, so by the time I went back, the moment had passed and they were unavailable again.

I searched off and on for 3d printed solutions, but at the time nothing really resonated; Honeycomb Storage Wall was just released, but didn't really fit what I wanted. Gridfinity was also new on the scene, and I ended up printing some horizontal organizers, but I really didn't like that it was so scattershot trying to find models that worked cohesively; the grids were pretty bulky and time consuming, and each remix felt specific to the originator's needs, so finding things that fit my needs was always a slog, and I wasted a lot of filament on parts that I ended up not liking, and therefore not using. And moreover, it didn't have any real solution for what I really wanted, which was a vertical organization solution; I had a lot of wall space, and not a lot of horizontal space.

So for a time, I gave up, and kept my status quo, which was a hodge-podge of off the shelf organizers, plastic shoeboxes, ammo cans, and tool bags. Flash forward to November 2024.

The discovery

In November of 2024, I discovered MultiBoard(as it was called at the time); I believe I searched YouTube for "3d printed pegboard," and found the original videos on Keep Making. By that time the system had been out for a while and had undergone several revisions and expansions. I watched all the videos, and decided to start printing exactly what I had been wanting: a pegboard to attach to the side of my printer.

I was impressed.

The thing that set MultiBoard apart from the other solutions available at the time was that it was vertical, and cohesive. The parts were all integrally designed, and all worked together in a harmonious fashion, and the amount of engineering going on in the development was obvious. It was like building with LEGO, but I could 3d print the parts, and use them to solve practical problems. This was exactly what I was looking for.

The expansion

Over the next year, I dedicated a lot of print time to MultiBoard. Soon after the first board was fleshed out with accessories, I built a new board on the wall, 9x9MU tiles in a 4x4 grid, and populated it with my most commonly used hand tools; pliers, wrenches, clamps, a tape rack(an All-Star), and various hooks and pegs for assorted items I wanted to have quick to hand. I started using it at work, making a small board on the wall to hold my office supplies.

In May of 2025, the system had an update called "On Grid" which integrated the part sizing increments even more cohesively, and introduced what are called Beams, which allowed for the construction of 3-dimensional builds, which, to me, has been an absolute game-changer. Around this time I started experimenting with the MultiBins, which are akin to the Gridfinity bins, but include a plethora of mounting and connecting geometry, all of which integrates into the rest of the system. This was a big breakthrough for me, and I will be posting more about them going forward.

The next phase

All in all, I've been extremely happy with the system. I've spent lots of time reviewing the parts library, printing, testing, and experimenting. I've integrated it into all my other tasks and hobbies for mounting and organizing. It's become the killer app of 3d printing for me.

I've built custom mounts for wire shelves, I've got it mounted on the sides of my computer desk, underneath shelves, on walls, anywhere I need to organize small to medium sized things.

But this series isn't a review. I believe the quality of the system speaks for itself. You don't need me to explain why having a pegboard that you can 3d print is a great tool. What I want to do is explain all the cool interactions I've found within the system.

There's lot of great videos available where people show you how to print, assemble, and mount boards, bins, drawers and accessories. But they all have one thing in common: they're relatively static.

What I want to focus on is making MultiBuild portable.

Coming soon

In the coming days, look forward to the following topics / projects

And these will all be using only official, first-party MultiBuild parts, no remixes!

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